Folding treadle.



T. DANQUARD. FOLDING TBEADLE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 0, 100a.

Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

25206227402": Z way ((01% second link 22 and a third link 23, pivoted t a port-ion of a player piano casing showing UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS DANQUARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

AUTO PNEUMATIC ACTION C0., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 6, 1909. Serial No. 506,029.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS DANQUARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Folding Treadles, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to a folding treadle construction particularly adapted for use in connection with piano, organ, or player cases, and the principal objects are to pro vide a simple and convenient construction which can be folded into the case in a very small compass and especially to provide for folding the parts into the case of a pneumatic player piano or the like in front of the pumps or feeders; also to provide certain improvements in details of construction.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of in end elevation a preferred embodiment of this invention with the treadles swung out' ready for operation. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the treadles part-1y swung back into the casing; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the treadles in their folded position in front of the bellows.

The drawings illustrate a casing 10 of the upright or any other type having an opening 11 in the front thereof and a lower rail 12. A main Wind trunk 13 is shown extending across the casing and connected with it is shown one of the feeders 14 having a movable leaf 15, and a stationary leaf 16. The latter is secured to the main wind trunk 13 and to a bracket 17 which is fixed on the bottom of the case behind the lower rail 12. In the present instance the movable leaf of the bellows is shown as connected with a link 20 which in turn is supported at its end by a pivoted link 21. The link 20 is indirectly connected with the foot piece 27 by a together by means of a pivot 24 above the line between the two pivots 25 and 26 by which these two links are pivoted respectively to the link 20 and the footpiece 27. On account of this construction the twolinks 22 and 23 can never collapse together upward, and will not collapse downward during the operation of the foot-piece to expand the bellows, it being understood that the two links have abutting contact surfaces 28 below the pivot 24. The link 22 at its inner end extends beyond the pivot 25 and presses against a pin or lug 30 on the link 20 which constitutes positive means for preventing the link 22 from falling below the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. On the under side of the link 20 is fixed a spring 31 which presses tightly against the flat lower side of the link 22 to resist the folding of the link 22 upward so that such action will not take place until the link 23 has first been raised. The bottoms of the foot-pieces are shown as pivoted to blocks or bases 35 which are fixed to braces 36, extending over the bottom rail 12 and bending down inside the same so as to be pivotally connected with brackets 17 without cutting out the rail.

The foot-pieces are folded as follows hen the block or base 35 is raised, the link 22 is, caused by the spring 31 to remain stationary at first while the foot-piece and link 23 turn upward until they come into the position shown in Fig. 2. Then the block 35 being pressed still farther upward the force will overcome the tension of the spring and turn the link 22 on its pivot in opposition to the spring. It will be observed that the link 22 is shown as having the flat lower end against which the spring bears in the position shown in Fig. 3, so that the spring yieldingly holds the parts in their folded posit-ion. In folding down the operation takes place in a similar manner as will be obvious. The foot-pieces first come down to the position shown in Fig. 2 when the pin 30 will positively stop further rotation of the link 22 and the pitman will then straighten out to the position shown in Fig. 1. During this whole operation the foot-pieces never cross the front line of the exhaust bellows 14 but fold entirely in front of them, which permits the use of this type of foot-pieces on an instrument in which the pumps have to be contracted into a small portion of the case, or in which they are enlarged so as to occupy the major part thereof. It will be observed also that in this connection these results are accomplished without cutting into the bottom rail.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention I am aware that many modifications can be d made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown and described, but

What I do claim is 1. In a treadle construction the combination of a movable member, a link pivoted thereto, a foot-piece, a second link pivoted to the first link, a third link pivoted to the second and to the foot-piece, and means whereby as the foot-piece is turned up, the pivot-a1 connection between the first link and second link will be prevented from turning until the third link has turned on the pivot between the second and third link.

In amusical instrument the co1nbination with a feeder having a movable leaf, of a link connected with the movable leaf, a second link pivoted to said link, a'third link pivoted to the second link, a foot-piece pivoted to the third link, the pivots connecting the third link with the foot-piece, and the first named link with the second being located below the pivot between the second and third link when in operative position. I

3. In a musical instrument the combination with a feeder having a movable leaf, of a link connected with the movable leaf, a secondlink pivoted to said link, a third link pivoted to the second link, a foot-piece pivoted to the third link, the pivots connecting the third link with the foot-piece, and the first named link with the second being located below the pivot between the second and third link when in operative position, the second and third link having abutting surfaces below the pivot connecting them, and means for supporting the outer end of the first named link.

4. In a musical instrument the combination with a feeder having a movable leaf, of a link connected with the movable leaf, a second link pivoted to said link, a third link pivoted to the second link, a foot-piece pivoted to the third link, the pivots connecting the third link with the foot-piece, and the first named link with the second being lo cated below the pivot between the second and third links when in operative position, movable means for supporting the outer end of the first named link, and means on the first. named link for preventing the second link from swinging downward beyond a certain position.

5. In a musical instrument, the combination with a link for operating a feeder, a second link pivoted to said link, a third link pivoted to the second, a foot-piece pivoted to the third link, means for supporting the out-er end of the first named link, and yielding means for resisting the upward motion of the second link about the pivot on the first named link.

6. In a musical instrument, the combination with a link for operating a feeder or the like, of a second link pivoted to said link, a third link pivoted to the second, a foot-piece pivoted to the third link, means for supporting the outer end of the first named link, means on the first named link for preventing the second link from swinging downward beyond a certain position, and a spring on the first named link bearing on the bottom of the second link to resist the upward swinging motion thereof, said sec- 0nd link having a surface on the end thereof for engaging the spring when the foot-piece is folded up, said surface then being located below the pivot on the first named link, whereby the spring will tend to hold the parts in folded position.

In a musical instrument the combination with a feeder having a movable leaf, of a link connected with the movable leaf, a second link pivoted to said link, a third link pivoted to the second link, a foot-piece pivoted to the third link, the pivots connecting the third link with the foot-piece, and the first named link with the second being located below the pivot between the second and third links when in operative position, a base for the foot-piece, a lower rail, and braces connected with said base and lower rail and extending over and partly around the lower rail when the pedals are in operative position.

8. In a musical instrument, the combination of a case, a feeder, a foot-piece, and folding connections for the foot-piecefoldable inside the case in front of the feeder, said case having a lower rail, and braces connected with the lower part of the case and with the lower ends of the foot-piece, extending over the lower rail, and pivoted inside the case behind said lower rail and near the bottom thereof.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS DANQUARD. Witnesses WM. P. GoLLINs, C. L. JENKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

